Reviews

Rated 4 / 5 stars2009-09-16 20:18:45

A good song!

I thought this worked well as a serious song and had some good beats to it. I couldn't understand the message it was sending, although I assume it was of insanity judging by the title. It keeps up a good beat for three minutes, adding in some interesting sound effects here and there.

Rated 4.5 / 5 stars2009-07-14 00:54:01

This Evokes an Undiscovered World

It's virtually impossible for the outsider to understand how routine audible or visual hallucinations as part of an ongoing neurological or metabolic condition can reshape someone's perspective on the world, let alone the day-to-day routine... or struggle. Certainly, it is nowhere near as peaceful as a traditional ambient techno song as this, although the occasional use of static certainly demonstrates how this psychiatric condition disrupts daily life. The abrupt end, mirroring the beginning, is very much how one enters into the condition, and only exits from it upon dying.

It's a hard bargain that's being delivered here, but one thing is certain: a schizophrenic (someone with a splintered mind) has an easier time connecting with the world... because it never works in the other direction. The world could care less if you can perceive reality correctly or not.

Oh, and I've been listening to this track loop for a while. It's soothing... relatively speaking, of course. It's certainly more mellow than Sephora's typical industrial faire, and has enough of a composition and set of transitions to call it an ambient sonata of sorts... a traditional A part, then B part, and then A again.

There's a moment that sounds somewhat like heavy breathing and I immediately thought about the likelihood of forming a solid relationship with someone who has a painful illness as this. Unlike cancer or other terminal illnesses, the behavior of the typical sufferer of schizophrenia won't harbor anybody's sympathies. It is unrealistic to suggest that schizophrenics are anymore violent than typical citizens, although one could say the frustration that comes out of being stigmatized by the regular population will serve to exacerbate the subtle symptoms of disenchantment and isolation. In other words, the schizophrenic mind is a locked room and nobody is inclined to find a key with which to enter.

I normally wouldn't express all my thoughts on a subject unless I had some experience on the subject. I work with people who have a psychiatric affliction--typically the "Big Three" of major depression, schizophrenia, and manic depression--and understand second-hand the plight of someone with a "rigged mind". It's hard to escape the loneliness of such diseases. Sometimes I feel jealous of cancer patients, since there's a sense of immediacy behind ensuring their continuing survival; the resources poured into cancer research far exceeds their ability to correctly treat, reverse, or possibly cure the affliction itself. Meanwhile, people die of all kinds of problems other than psychiatric disorders, such as diabetes, heart failure, lung cancer, and many other problems that typically come right back to this disorder, how it is treated (some medicines' side effects are utterly shocking), or the victim's behavior as a reaction to the illness' symptoms. In short, it is not quite the disorder that makes the afflicted person lonely, but rather the distorted perceptions and priorities of the world around them. How the schizophrenic perceives the world might actually be important to examine in further detail.

Having expelled the contents of my chest long enough, I must say this song does have an unusual effect on the psyche, if listened to long enough. Sephora is keen to suggest how loneliness is more or less the ongoing reality for those who suffer this illness. She is also keen with her musical talent, and it is strongly suggested that she continue to entertain us with her (hopefully) growing and evolving catalog.